Benjamin C. Wenzel Criminal Defense Website Berlin

Client

Benjamin C. Wenzel Specialist Criminal Defense Attorney (Fachanwalt fuer Strafrecht), Berlin www.anwalt-wenzel.com

Status

Completed rebuild + SEO architecture implementation (ongoing content operations)

Context

Criminal defense is a high-stress, high-conversion legal niche. The website had to balance urgency and discretion while meeting YMYL quality expectations.

The legacy setup used fragmented domains and older CMS constraints, with duplicate-content risk, weak technical foundations, and limited trust signals.

For Benjamin C. Wenzel, the goal was a consolidated authority platform that supports urgent intent and specialist-level positioning.

"Strafverteidigung bedeutet Verantwortung. Fuer die Freiheit, die berufliche Existenz und die persoenliche Zukunft eines Mandanten."
Primary domain: www.anwalt-wenzel.com
Local focus: Berlin

Criminal defense law firm platform project in Berlin

What We Delivered

Platform architecture built around search intent
On-page structure and metadata governance
Internal linking governance by cluster
Trust and conversion layers for E-E-A-T / YMYL readiness
Domain consolidation with 301 redirect strategy
Operational email migration (~17,000 emails)

Implementation Details

1) Platform architecture built around search intent

We implemented a hub-and-cluster model with a core authority hub, high-intent practice pages, and a dedicated emergency conversion page for immediate action scenarios.

Core authority hub: Strafverteidiger Berlin - Fachanwalt fuer Strafrecht
High-intent pages: BtMG, Darknet, Sexual Criminal Law, Assault, Verkehrsrecht (hub)
Traffic sub-cluster under Verkehrsrecht: driver's license revoked, drug driving defense, getting the license back
Emergency page: "House search - what to do?"

2) On-page structure and metadata system

We rebuilt templates with consistent metadata logic (canonical, titles/descriptions, indexation rules) and aligned heading structure across hubs, articles, and case pages.

Canonical governance
Title/description standardization
Indexation rules by page role
H1/H2 structure harmonized across the cluster

This reduced cannibalization and improved topical clarity.

3) Internal linking governance

We replaced broad, unstructured linking with cluster-based rules: hubs strengthen subpages, knowledge pages link upward, and case pages function as trust nodes.

Hub -> subpage strengthening
Knowledge -> hub upward linking
Case pages as trust nodes

Linking now supports both SEO hierarchy and conversion pathways.

4) Trust and conversion layers (E-E-A-T / YMYL)

In criminal defense, credibility is the product. We structured trust pathways around clear decision needs.

Attorney profile (specialist title, court experience, approach)
Process and fees (reduces conversion friction)
Reviews integration and proof blocks
Emergency CTAs and phone-first interaction patterns

This supports high-intent users in high-stress situations.

5) Domain consolidation and redirect strategy

The previous satellite domain setup diluted authority and increased duplicate-content risk. We executed a consolidation plan to unify visibility.

Consolidated to www.anwalt-wenzel.com
301 redirect mapping for legacy domains
Clear hub-and-spoke authority model

Rankings and link equity were protected during consolidation.

6) Email migration (operational continuity)

To keep client communication stable during the rebuild, we migrated historical email data to a modern provider environment.

~17,000 emails migrated
No communication interruption during relaunch

Design Approach (AI-assisted, then refined)

The visual direction was AI-assisted for speed in early exploration, then refined into a calm, restrained legal design language aligned with criminal defense expectations.